Bread and mustard: there’s a 99 percent chance you’ve got ‘em in your kitchen right now. But have you ever thought about DIY-ing these fundamentals? It’s crazy easy, so much more fun than choosing store-bought versions, and your homemade creations will taste vastly fresher. Plus, tweaking the recipes to your specifications means you can have it your way, for real, so crack open your cabinets, and get down to bidness.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt. Then add the water and mix with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl, and leave it at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

2. Once you’re ready to bake, put the lid on your cast-iron Dutch oven pot, stick it in the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees; “cook” your pot and lid for 30 minutes. Carefully remove it from the oven, and dump your dough inside. Cover the pot and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Then rest your bread on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, and enjoy.

Mustard: The Basic Yellow

Mustard isn’t rocket science, and after you’ve seen how easy and fun it is to make, you’ll want to give Gulden’s the middle finger and go DIY forever.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup yellow mustard seeds

1/3 cup vinegar (try white wine, rice, or red wine vinegar)

1/4 cup white wine (or water)

1/4 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. turmeric

1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup (or 1 1/4 Tbsp. light brown sugar)

1/2 tsp. salt

Note:

If you want an ultra-smooth consistency, grind the mustard seeds in a spice grinder (or with a mortar and pestle) before you start the recipe.

Preparation:

1. For this recipe, and the below variations, add all the ingredients to a stainless-steel bowl, and stir. Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit on the counter for 2 to 3 days.

2. Put the mixture in a food processor or blender, and blend until it’s as smooth as you like it. You can add a bit of water to thin the mixture if you like, or mayonnaise to make things creamier. To thicken it up, add a bit of cornstarch.

3. Store the mixture in a glass jar and let sit in the fridge for 12 hours before eating (to let the flavors mellow)—it should last for at least a month.